Diving at the 1984 Summer Olympics

The Soviet-led boycott had minimal impact on 1984 Olympic diving as the world’s top divers at this time were mostly from the United States and China. They were topped by Greg Louganis, who won the springboard and platform in Los Angeles, and would repeat that double in 1988. The 1984 diving events took place outdoors at the Olympic Swim Stadium on the campus of the University of Southern California, now called the McDonald’s Swim Stadium. There were four diving events – 3-metre springboard and 10-metre platform for men and women, which remained the standard Olympic diving program through 1996. On the women’s side, China’s Zhou Jihong won gold on the platform, heralding the coming dominance of China in the sport, as within a decade they would take over the mantle previously held by the United States. One other change occurred in 1984 as nations were limited to only two divers per event, instead of the three that had been the previous standard, preventing a nation from sweeping medals, although that had last occurred in 1964 when USA men swept the springboard.